The USDA food program, administered by ICNA provides lunches to underprivileged youth of all faiths. The USDA reimburses the site administrators for the cost of meals, however the rate is based on standard non-Halal lunches. Since the cost of Halal ingredients exceeds the rate allocated by the USDA, Halal food companies such as Midamar have been asked to donate food in order to ensure high quality lunches are served in sufficient quantity to meet the needs of the community. “Donations of Halal food by companies like Midamar allow ICNA to provide higher quality and more lunches for out of school youth,” said ICNA Boston Relief Director Malika Rushdan.

“Lunches are prepared on site at our location here in Boston since there are no Halal distributors who prepare lunches. All children age 18 and under are eligible for lunch and we will be an open site, meaning any child from the community can receive lunch. We are located in a low income community and our current client base is recently arrived and older refugees from Iraq, Somalia, Afghanistan, Bhutan and Bosnia. There is also a large Latino population. Our lunch program will focus on literacy with many education activities for youth of all ages including professional storytelling and ESL tutoring.”

She added, “It has been interesting to watch the children of refugees get their meals and be surprised to see a hot dog!! Most children will run and bring the lunch to their mothers before they eat, asking if it’s Halal. We have shown the parents the product packages. The biggest hit of the summer has been the Midamar Hot Dogs. Cooked on the grill they are delicious!! The teenagers have stated that the Midamar Hot Dogs are the best they've ever had and always ask when we'll be serving them again. For many of the refugee children from Iraq, it is the first time they've had hotdogs but they love them.”

Midamar routinely welcomes the opportunity to support organizations that contribute to the health, nutrition, education and general well being of their communities and neighborhoods. There are many families in America that cannot afford to feed their school aged children during the summer months, and many children start school in September in a malnourished state. This is damaging to the health, education, and future opportunities for these children. We believe that the USDA’s Summer Food Program and ICNA’s Boston Relief are building stronger communities through their efforts to support families and children in need.